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Canadian Eventing names Eventing Team for the 2008 Olympic Games

July 15, 2008

Ottawa, ON --- Following a successful weekend outing at the Florida Horse Park in Ocala, Florida, the Canadian Eventing High Performance Committee is pleased to announce that Samantha Taylor and Livewire have been selected as the fifth rider/horse combination to join the Canadian Eventing Team which will compete in the Olympic Games Beijing, China, August 9–12, 2008. The equestrian events for the 2008 Olympic Games will be held in Hong Kong, China. Samantha and Livewire replace Jessica Phoenix and Exploring who were sadly were withdrawn from the Team on July 3rd, 2008.

The Team will participate in a training camp and pre-export quarantine in Ocala, Florida, USA, prior to the July 25th departure for Hong Kong.

The team trains under the leadership of David O’Connor, International Technical Advisor. Eventing chef d’équipe, Graeme Thom; team manager, Janette Leask; stable manager, Debbie Furnas; team veterinarian, Dr. Christiana Ober; and team farrier, Christopher Volk, will accompany and provide support to the team throughout the Games.

The Canadian Eventing Committee is grateful to Sport Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee and all of its supporters, sponsors and friends for their continued support of the Canadian Eventing Team in its quest for excellence at the 2008 Olympic Games.

The Olympic sport of eventing encompasses three separate tests: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping held consecutively. Each test ridden by the rider and horse in combination is scored individually but added together for the final results. The rider/horse combination with the fewest number of penalty points over the three days wins the competition.

At the 2008 Olympic Games, the team competition consists of a minimum of three and a maximum of five competitors with the best three scores to count for the team classification. Following the first round of show jumping, which determines the team medal winners, the top 25 competitors will jump a second round to determine the individual medalists.

The Eventing Team nominated to the Canadian Olympic Committee to compete at the 2008 Olympic Games (in alphabetical order) are:
 
Rider, hometown 	Horse 	Owner
 
Kyle Carter, Calgary, AB			Madison Park, 1998 bay American TB	Rider & Nicole Shinton 
Sandra Donnelly, Calgary, AB		Buenos Aires 1997 bay Canadian WB	Rider
Selena O’Hanlon, Elgin, ON		Colombo, 1994 bay Swedish WB	Elaine & Michael Davies
Samantha Taylor, Richmond, BC		Livewire 1998 grey Canadian TB 	Rider	
Michael Winter, Toronto, ON  		King Pin, 1996 chestnut Irish Sport Horse	King Pin Syndicate 
 
The four other team members were selected and announced June 18th, 2008.  
 
For rider biographies, visit web site www.equinecanada.ca.  

Provisional Schedule for the Olympic Games Eventing Competition
 
Saturday, August 9	Dressage Day 1
 
Sunday August 10	Dressage Day 2
	      	
Monday August 11	Cross Country 
 
Tuesday August 12	Show Jumping 
		Victory Ceremony  –Team and Individual 
 
	
For specific times and competition details and results consult the Organizing Committee website www.equestrian2008.org, or the FEI web site www.horsesport.org.

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